A
new year is always a great time to start a new habit or two, and we’ve got 20
of them this month to turn your law firm into a lean, mean marketing machine.
You
don’t have to do all of these at once - just pick one and get started.
Continuous, incremental improvements are how you get your firm to the next
level.
- Get reviews on Google.
Ask your clients to review you. Make it easy by sending them a custom link that
goes directly to the dialog box to review your firm. If you aren’t sure how to
create one, e-mail me, I’ll create one for your firm at no charge. - Partner with a charity.
Reach out to a charity whose cause you are passionate about and partner with
them for donations, or for an event - see what they need. And then promote it
in your marketing. - Join a networking group.
There are tons of them out there. Pick one where your target market hangs out. - Start generating content. Great legal marketing content
is one of the best ways to drive potential clients to your site. Whether you
can do it once a quarter, once a month, or once a week, start generating it
regularly and get in front of your ideal client. - Track your results.
You’ve probably got Google Analytics set up on your website. But are you
measuring the right things? How do you know what’s working and what isn’t?
Proper tracking is critical to measure the return you get on your marketing
spend. - Have a clear call to action.
What do you want people to do when they go to your website? Call you? Email
you? Fill out an initial consultation form? Make it clear for them. - Who do you want to work with?
Who do you not want to work with? Answer these questions through your website
content. - Take care of your referral sources.
Referrals are often the best source of new business. Take care of the people
who send you referrals. Take them to lunch, donate to their favorite charity,
buy them a Christmas present, etc. - Ask your existing customers for
referrals. If you’re providing exceptional service (of course you
are), your existing clients can be a great source for new business. - Focus on your local presence.
Lots of people initially contact a lawyer based on geographic distance. That
means in addition to your website, your Google My Business profile needs to be
properly configured and stand out. - Utilize social media. Especially
in certain practice areas, social media marketing can be a powerful tool to
drive awareness and bring traffic to your website. - Find your niche.
Are you a firm that does a little bit of everything? Consider narrowing your
focus to a few practice areas, or at least focusing the majority of your
marketing on one or two. People want to work with someone who is great at
specifically what they need vs someone who does a little bit of everything. - Redesign your website. Give
your visitors a great first impression, and at the same time, get a new
site for your firm that’s speedy, mobile responsive, and
displays your unique strengths to the world. - Run an essay contest for a scholarship.
Promote it to local universities and other organizations. - Talk to your customers.
Ask them why they hired you – what made you stand out? Do more of that and
promote it. - Become someone’s source. Reach
out to TV reporters, newspaper reporters, radio, internet, etc – there are
always people looking for a subject matter expert to comment on a certain topic
or participate in roundtables. - Guest blog. Find
a popular blog that talks about your area of expertise. Reach out to them and
see if they are open to a guest blogger to write content. - Provide great customer service.
From intake all the way through the completion of their case, wow your clients. - Answer your phone!
Clio’s 2019 Legal Trends report said 39% of their test calls to law firms went
to voicemail, and 57% of those didn’t call them back. - Volunteer to speak at an event.
The NCBA, NCAJ, and many other great organizations have events where you can
apply to be a speaker. Take advantage of them to hone your speaking skills, and
get your name out there!
That’s it – pick one (or more) of these and get out there and make it a great 2024!